ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Micro,Small & Medium Enterprises
3rd Trade and Investment Working Group  Meeting in Kevadia from July 10th–12th, 2023
G20 delegates to deliberate upon action-oriented key deliverables on global trade and investment issues
After the successful completion of two TIWG meetings, the 3rd meeting will take place from July 10th–12th in Kevadia, Gujarat. The three-day meeting will be attended by more than 75 delegates from G20 member countries, invitee countries, regional groupings and international organisations. The focus of the meeting would be to build consensus on accomplishing action-oriented proposals put forward by the Indian Presidency on global trade and investment-related issues.
On the first day, a seminar on Trade Infrastructure will discuss the Role of Logistics in Expanding Global Value Chains  and MSMEs Going Global: Integration with GVCs. The seminar will be followed by a guided tour of the Statue of Unity and a dinner hosted by the State Government for the G20 delegates.
The five priority issues namely Trade for Growth & Prosperity, Resilient Trade and GVCs, Integrating MSMEs in World Trade, Logistics for Trade and WTO Reforms were extensively discussed among the G20 member/invitee countries during the first and second TIWG meetings. Moreover, presentations outlining each of the subjects and outcomes emanating from them were made by the Knowledge Partners during these meetings. Based on the opinions/suggestions expressed by the G20 member/invitee countries in these discussions, Indian Presidency has formulated action-oriented concrete proposals on each of the priority issues. These proposals relate to developing High-Level Principles for Digitalization of Trade Documents, Action Plan to Create Meta Information Interface for MSMEs, Generic mapping framework for GVCs, G20 Regulatory Dialogue and preparing a Compendium on best practices for Mutual Recognition Agreements . In this backdrop, during the third meeting, the Presidency is now striving for consensus-building among the G20 member countries for eventual adoption of these proposals.
Accordingly, on 11th & 12th July, technical sessions will be conducted during which specific inputs/comments of the G20 member/invitee countries will be solicited on the Presidency’s proposals. These inputs will be suitably incorporated while drafting the Ministerial Communique which will be adopted during the G20 Trade and Investment Ministerial Meeting scheduled at Jaipur on 24th-25th August, 2023.
The working agenda has been prepared keeping in mind the clarion call given by Hon’ble Prime Minister that the G20 outcomes should be action-oriented and address the challenges faced by the Global South. In this backdrop, the outcomes from the 3rd Meeting would pave the way for building a shared understanding of the challenges being faced in accelerating global trade and investment, and develop tools that could leverage existing opportunities to make growth inclusive and transparent.
YP/GP/JD
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Ministry of Women and Child Development
NCW organizes Workshop on Gender Responsive Governance for Elected Women Representatives
The National Commission for Women  organized a Workshop on Gender Responsive Governance for elected women representatives  under ‘She Is A Changemaker’ project, a pan-India capacity building programme of the Commission for improving leadership skills of women representatives at all levels.
The three-day workshop has been organised in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh in collaboration with Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration  and the National Gender and Child centre of LBSNAA from 22nd to 24th June, 2022. During the workshop, the women MLAs will be trained on gender-responsive governance in different sessions such as ‘Effective Leadership’, ‘Inclusive Governance’, ‘Overview on Gender-Based Violence with a Special Focus on Trafficking of Women & Adolescents’, ‘Gender Sensitive and Inclusive Communication’, ‘Emotional Intelligence’, etc. The workshop is being attended by 29 participants from the states of Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
The Governor of Uttar Pradesh Anandiben Patel participated as Chief Guest in the inaugural ceremony, today. In her inaugural address, she motivated the women MLAs with her valuable experiences and real-life examples. She stressed on the importance of discipline in the life of a public representative and said that better coordination with officials at the grassroot level especially the gram panchayat was extremely important to promote effective development to every person of the society. She reiterated the commitment of the government and told the participants to strive towards, ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayas’.
While delivering her keynote address, Chairperson, NCW, Ms Rekha Sharma said that the workshop has been organised with the thought of ‘Empowered Women Leadership, Empowered Democracy’. This program was conceptualised and developed with an aim to promote capacity-building of women leaders, she said.
(Under 'She Is A Changemaker' project, the Commission has organised capacity building programme for women representatives in association with region-wise training institutes with an aim to improve their decision making, communication skills, effective management, etc. The Commission has organised 49 training batches in eight states under which around 1700 women representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions/Urban Local Bodies have been given training so far.
Ministry of Defence
Oxygen generation facility inaugurated at INHS Dhanvantari, Port Blair
An oxygen generation facility was inaugurated by Commander-in-Chief, Andaman and Nicobar Command  Lieutenant General Ajai Singh at Indian Naval Hospital,INHS Dhanvantari in Port Blairon July 19, 2021. The plant has been installed to augment the medical and support facilities in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands amidst the COVID-19 situation. The setting-up of the plant was taken up by the Andaman and Nicobar Command through M/s ITD Cementation India Limited, which is undertaking a major marine infrastructure project in the Command.
The firm took up this venture as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility  initiative. Despite COVID-19 restrictions, a new oxygen generation plant was procured from Chennai and was installed at INHS Dhanvantri in a short span.The facility will be only captive/in-house facility within the hospital for generation of medical grade oxygen. It would ensure continued supply of medical oxygen to specified beds, thus providing huge support in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and significantly enhancing self-sufficiency.
Commissioner-cum-Secretary,Andaman &Nicobar administration Shri Dr V Chandavelou; Director , Andaman and Nicobar Islands Dr Omkar Singh; Project Head, M/s ITD Cementation India Limited Shri Anjan Halder and senior officers of ANC were present on the occasion.
ABB/Nampi/KA/DK/Savvy
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Ministry of Railways
Women in RPF
Presently more than 2300 women Railway Protection Force personnel are deployed over Indian Railways. In addition to the existing strength of women RPF personnel, 4078 women constables and 298 Sub-Inspectors have been recruited/empanelled who have started their training.
Policing on Railways being a State subject, prevention of crime, registration of cases, their investigation and maintenance of law & order in Railway premises as well as on running trains are the statutory responsibility of the State Governments, which they discharge through Government Railway Police /District Police. However, Railway Protection Force  supplements the efforts of GRP to provide better protection and security of passenger area and passengers. In addition to the train escort by GRP, lady RPF personnel are also deployed for escorting of trains as Rakshak Dal as per availability to ensure adequate security to female passengers. On an average, 344 women RPF police personnel are deployed as ‘Rakshak Dal’ in 150 running trains for escorting duty on daily basis.
This information was given by the Minister of Railways and Commerce & Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.
Ministry of Finance
Ministry of Finance statement on misinterpretation of LTC stimulus and its benefits
A report has appeared in the Economic Times Markets  which gives the impression that the LTC voucher scheme for Government employees may not be attractive. Unfortunately, the piece which it relies on has a serious factual error in its understanding of how Government LTC works. It is based on the erroneous assumption that leave travel money can be retained by paying income tax without travelling. The key assumption in the report claims:
"They would be better off paying taxes on the LTC amount availed instead."
The Government LTC is quite different from Leave Travel Allowance in the corporate sector. A person claiming LTC is not eligible unless he actually travels; if he fails to travel the amount is deducted from his pay and he may be liable for disciplinary action. He does not have the option of keeping the money and paying income tax. Under the government system, the employee had only two choices: 1)Travel and spend  or 2) Forgo the entitlement if not claimed within the date. Now a third option of "spend on something other than travel" has been given. In the current Covid environment, travel carries serious perceived health risks.
The assumption in the report that employees would otherwise not pay GST when they purchase something from their money and are only incurring it because of the scheme is surprising. Everybody pays GST on their consumption unless they choose to buy without bills in black, a practice the Government obviously does not condone and which hopeful the ET does not want to encourage. Incidentally, the entitlements under the scheme have been worked out at full cost .
Surprisingly, the same piece relied on acknowledges that :"the central government employees are least impacted in terms of savings due to lockdown and no salary loss". It is precisely for this reason that they are in a position to boost their own spending on goods or services of their own choice, using the LTC money as effectively a steep discount to reduce the cost of whatever they choose to buy. Rhetorical questions based on erroneous factual assumptions on Government rules, based on corporate sector practices, do not enrich the debate.
Ministry of Science & Technology
Aarogyapath, a web-based solution for the healthcare supply chain that provides real-time availability of critical supplies launched
A CSIR National Healthcare Supply Chain Portal that aims to provide real-time availability of critical healthcare supplies https://www.aarogyapath.inhas been launched on June 12,2020. AarogyaPath would serve manufacturers, suppliers and customers. During the present national health emergency arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic, where in there is severe disruption in supply chain,the ability to produce and deliver the critical items may be compromised due to a variety of reasons. The information platform named AarogyaPath with a vision of “providing a path which leads one on a journey towards Aarogya ” was developed to address these challenges.
This integrated public platform that provides single-point availability of key healthcare goodscan be helpful to customers in tackling a number of routinely experienced issues. These issues include dependence on limited suppliers, time-consuming processes to identify good quality products, limited access to suppliers who can supply standardized products at reasonable prices within desired timelines, lack of awareness about the latest product launches, etc.
It also helps manufacturers and suppliers to reach a wide network of customers efficiently, overcoming gaps in connectivity between them and potential demand centers like nearby pathological laboratories, medical stores, hospitals, etc. It will also create opportunities for business expansion due to an expanded slate of buyers and visibility of new requirements for products. Over time, analytics from this platform is expected to generate early signals to manufacturers on over capacity as well as on looming shortages. This would help to reduce wastage of resources due to inefficient forecasting and excess manufacturing, generate awareness about the demand for new technologies.
CSIR expects AarogyaPath to become the national healthcare information platform of choice in the years to come, filling a critical gap in last-mile delivery of patient care within India through improved availability and affordability of healthcare supplies.
It was launched by Shri Rajesh Bhushan Officer on Special Duty, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in presence of DG CSIR, Dr Shekhar C. Mande. Shri Sudhir Garg Joint Secretary, Ministry of MSME and Dr. Vijay Chauthiawale Pharma Sector Expert were guests of honour at this event. Dr Shekhar Mande complemented the CSIR team involved in development of the portal, which was led by Dr Anjan Ray, Director CSIR-IIP. The portal was developed in partnership with Sarvodaya Infotech and institutional users and manufacturers / authorized suppliers of healthcare essentials are encouraged to register and participate actively.
Prime Minister's Office
PM condoles INA veteran Lalit Ram ji
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has expressed deep grief over the demise of INA veteran Shri Lalit Ram ji.
In a tweet Shri Modi said :
"Saddened by the demise of INA veteran Lalti Ram Ji. His courage and contributions to India’s freedom struggle will never be forgotten. I recall my interactions with him. Greats like him have left an indelible mark on India’s history."
Ministry of Civil Aviation
Shri Jyotiraditya M Scindia chairs the Chintan Shivir organised by the Ministry of Civil Aviation
Chintan Shivir was organised to promote a spirit of collaboration and continuous inter-personal learning among the officials
Ministry of Civil Aviation organised a Chintan Shivir today at Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi which was chaired by Minister of Civil Aviation Shri Jyotiraditya Scindia and MoS, Ministry of Civil Aviation Dr.  Vijay Kumar Singh 
The Chintan Shivir was organised to promote the spirit of a holistic approach, continuous inter-personal learning, and collaboration among the officials of the ministry.
In his address, Minister of Civil Aviation Shri Jyotiraditya Scindia said “We require such opportunities and platforms which encourage to develop a ‘whole of government approach’ in our day-to-day working. With the help of such workshops, we shall be able to help the development of a work culture that thrives on continuous interpersonal learning and collaboration which will work as catalysts for our personal, institutional, and national development.”
MoS, Ministry of Civil Aviation Gen. Dr. Vijay Kumar Singh  said that this workshop will help us understand each other’s work and contribute as a medium to bring in synergy and mutual collaboration.
During the event, Shri Arun Kumar, Director General, DGCA, made a presentation on ‘International Civil Aviation Organization’, followed by a presentation on Karmayogi and an interactive session on ‘Team Building and Leadership Building’ by Shri Praveen Singh Parsdeshi, Member, CBC and an art-based learning methodology conducted by Training Sideways.
The event was also attended by Shri Rajiv Bansal, Secretary, MoCA, Shri B.S. Bhullar, Chairman, AERA, Shri Sanjeev Kumar, Chairman, AAI, Shri Vikram Dev Dutt, Chairman and MD, AIAHL, Shri Krishnendu Gupta, Director, IGRUA, and other joint secretaries and other officers from MoCA, AAI, BCAS, DGCA, and AERA.
Ministry of Power
Ministry of Power urges all ministries to deploy Electric Vehicles into the fleet of official vehicles
Ministry of Power has requested all the Ministries in Government of India and the State Governments to join the initiative on transformative electric mobility and advise their respective Departments to shift their fleet of official vehicles from present Internal Combustion Engine  based Vehicles to Electric Vehicles.
Energy Efficiency Services Limited  through its wholly owned subsidiary CESL , undertook consultations with State Transport Utilities , State Governments, Original Equipment Manufacturers , NITI Aayog etc. to aggregate demand of 5,450 buses for deployment on Operating expenses  basis across 9 major cities in India . CESL floated a unified tender on 20th January 2022 towards aggregation of e-buses. In respect of Electric 3 Wheelers , CESL has floated a tender to aggregate demand for one lakh E3W as per the modified Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of  Electric Vehicles  Phase-II scheme. The aggregation of E3W has resulted into price reduction up to 22% in comparison to the retail segment.
EESL through CESL has received an aggregated demand of 930 numbers of electric 4 Wheelers  from various Government departments at Central and State level. Further, 25,000 electric two wheelers have been aggregated for Government employees of Andhra Pradesh. Also, CESL has aggregated a demand of 82,000 electric three wheelers of various categories. EESL has decided that it would do aggregation of demand only and would not get into financing the EVs in any capacity.
This information was given by Shri R.K Singh, Union Minister for Power and MNRE in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
Ministry of Tribal Affairs
Shri Arjun Munda Inaugurates Workshop on Van Dhan and Entrepreneurship Development
Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Shri Arjun Munda inaugurated the “Workshop on Van Dhan and Entrepreneurship Development” organized by TRIFED under Ministry of Tribal Affairs here today. Smt. Renuka Singh, Minister of State for Tribal Affairs and senior Officials of various Ministries and Departments were also present. Scheduled Tribe  Members of Parliament graced the occasion, where they had been informed about the Van Dhan Scheme and the suggestions & advice were sought from them for implementing and expanding the scheme in their respective constituencies.
Addressing on the occasion, Shri Arjun Munda said that Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan Yojana  is an initiative targeting livelihoods generation for tribals by harnessing the wealth of the forest i.e., Van Dhan. The programme aims to tap the traditional knowledge and skills of tribals and add branding, packaging and marketing skills to optimize their income through a market led enterprise model by setting up of Van Dhan Kendras . The objective of PMVDY is to create tribal enterprise comprising of tribal gatherers/ entrepreneurs, who would collectively undertake all related activities starting from collection of NTFPs through sustainable harvesting, value-addition, packaging, branding and marketing of value-added products. He informed the Members that PMVDY envisages creation of tribal enterprises for employment and entrepreneurship development of 45 Lakh tribals, involving 1 Lakh SHGs/5000 VDVKs covering 27 States and 307 districts during next 3 years..
The Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Govt of India through TRIFED started the above initiative in the month of Aug., 2019. TRIFED has so far sanctioned proposals for establishment of 1101 Van Dhan Kendras in 26 States and 1 UT. The scheme is being implemented through State Nodal Departments and State/District Implementing Agencies. Reputed Institutions like IITs, IIMs and National Level Intuitions have been associated for supporting this initiative by taking their help in devising the training module and imparting training to members of Van Dhan Kendras on various aspects including processing of forest products, branding, packaging and marketing of value-added products. These reputed Institution will continue their support post training to the members for developing an Van Dhan enterprise. Besides, Organisations like FICCI, CII, ASSOCHAM, PHD chamber, DICCI etc. are also being associated for bringing support and participation of trade and industry in this Van Dhan programme. TRIFED has reached out to various Ministries like Commerce, MSME, RD, Railways etc also for support to promote tribal products through a multi-pronged strategy.
The process of establishment of Van Dhan Kendras has gained momentum in the States. Out of sanctioned 1101 Van Dhan Kendras, 406 Van Dhan Kendras have identified tribal beneficiaries, 174 have done training of SHGs/VDVKs and 41 Kendras have initiated process of value-addition and processing operations.
Ministry of Railways
In a relentless battle against COVID 19, Railways transports 1150 Tonnes of medical items during lockdown across the country
Indian Railways ensures seamless transportation of medical items on priority during the nationwide lock down
Timetabled Parcel trains operated by Zonal Railways provides boost to transportation of essential medicines and other medical equipments during the lockdown
Indian Railways is ensuring seamless transportation of medical items on priority during the nationwide lock down due to COVID-19. Indian Railways continues to deliver medicines, masks, hospital items and other medical commodities through its timetabled parcel services to strengthen Government’s efforts in managing the challenges and adverse impact of corona virus in the country.
As on 18.04.2020, Indian Railways has transported 1150 Tonnes medical items in various parts of the country. The zone wise details of transportation of medical goods are as under:
|
|
S. No.
|
|
Zone
|
|
Weight 
|
|
1
|
|
Southern Railway
|
|
83.13
|
|
2
|
|
South East Central Railway
|
|
15.10
|
|
3
|
|
East Central Railway
|
|
1.28
|
|
4
|
|
North Eastern Railway
|
|
2.88
|
|
5
|
|
East Coast Railway
|
|
1.06
|
|
6
|
|
South Central Railway
|
|
47.22
|
|
7
|
|
Central Railway
|
|
135.64
|
|
8
|
|
North Central Railway
|
|
74.32
|
|
9
|
|
West Central Railway
|
|
27.17
|
|
10
|
|
South Eastern Railway
|
|
2.82
|
|
11
|
|
South Western Railway
|
|
12.10
|
|
12
|
|
Eastern Railway
|
|
8.52
|
|
13
|
|
North East Frontier Railway
|
|
2.16
|
|
14
|
|
North Western Railway
|
|
8.22
|
|
15
|
|
Western Railway
|
|
328.84
|
|
16
|
|
Northern Railway
|
|
399.71
|
|
Total
|
|
1150.17 T
Indian Railways is touching human lives during the hour of crisis. Recently, for an autistic child, skimmed camel milk was transported by a Parcel Train from Ajmer to Mumbai when the parents resorted for help on social media platform. Similarly, another autistic child in Ajmer suffering from serious ailments, had his stock of medicines run out, his relatives approached Railway officials and medicines were transported by a parcel train from Ahmedabad to Ajmer.